Category: Human Resources

The world is chaotic today and people are facing unprecedented challenges. The businesses are struggling hard to stay afloat as the market trends and priorities of the customers have drastically changed. In such trying times, making a real connection with your customers using the conventional marketing techniques could be quite difficult. Today the brands need to be more responsible and compassionate to earn credibility and customer loyalty which could even outlast the ongoing crisis. American author Zig Ziglar had said “Stop selling. Start helping”, and now is the time to adhere to this more than ever. As the times are so uncertain, many companies aren’t sure how to frame their marketing messages or if they should really promote their product and services now. However, as the new normals are surfacing amid new challenges, it’s important to focus more on compassionate marketing. Adding value to the life of people, initiating positive changes within communities, caring for human needs and being responsible while doing business is the need of the hour.

The COVID-19 crisis has posed unprecedented challenges to the business world. Organizations are already struggling with business continuity, workforce management and talent acquisition as all these now are to be taken care of remotely. Over the last few months, the entire market scenario has drastically changed and it looks like it will remain so for a while. And now, with the arrival of summer, there is one more challenge which the companies need to address – managing virtual internship programs. There are a number of companies that believed remote work would be the future, long before the crisis began, and have a proper infrastructure in place. But there are many others that are still adjusting to this new normal. Several companies already have a list of selected interns and now they are wondering how to engage them remotely. Or, some were about to launch an internship program this summer for the first time and now they have no clue how to make it work. This is especially true for small businesses which now must rethink their strategies to recruit top talents as interns, remotely, so they can consider them adding to their talent pool in the future. It isn’t very tough though. A few changes and some creative problem solving could easily help you develop an effective virtual internship program. Here are a few tips to help you design one.

Remote work has emerged as the new normal in the COVID-19 crisis. A number of organizations have recommended their employees to work from home in an attempt to encourage social distancing, a vital aspect of fighting the pandemic. Although the idea of working from home sounds fascinating as there are no dress codes, no daily commute, more family time and you can work right from the comfort of your couch, there are a few downers as well which can make your entire experience quite disappointing. Focusing on work could be a real challenge when you’re working from home. Be it the household chores glaring at you, the chattering housemates or just some cacophonies on the nearby street interrupting your train of thoughts, sometimes staying productive while working from home could be quite a job. Also, for those who are habitual of socializing in the offices, the isolation at home can quickly trick their mind into boredom and depression.

It’s a common misconception that working from home is somehow easier than working from the office but in reality the former, in fact, requires a little extra effort to produce the desired outcome. The biggest challenge of remote work, which is managing yourself, could be turned into your greatest advantage using the right strategies. If you can master the art of managing your time, focus and accountabilities while you work from home, it can enhance your professional skill set in multiple ways.

Critical thinking is important in every aspect of life, be it personal or professional. It helps individuals diagnose problems and find solutions that aren’t always obvious but effective. When it comes to the workplace, critical thinking can help in resolving conflicts, solving problems without bias and making the best decisions for the organization and its people. It enhances the quality of work as well as professional credibility. The skill is especially important during crisis where one needs to carefully analyze the situation and devise an effective solution to the problem. Considering the ongoing coronavirus crisis which has led to business disruption in multiple industries, the organization leaders need to put more emphasis on critical thinking to navigate through the uncertainties. Most of the employees are working remotely, many business activities have been restricted, there have been huge transformations in the way work was being done and the entire environment is quite demanding. In such trying times, it’s vital to improve your critical thinking skills to get the desired outcomes.

The world is going through crazy times and is making unprecedented changes to battle the COVID-19 pandemic. Businesses are facing multiple challenges and there have been huge and not-so-desirable transformations. Many companies are forced to lay off employees and the ones who stayed are engulfed in fear and despair owing to the chaotic scenarios all around the globe. Now it’s more important than ever for the companies to create an ideal employee experience because adversity reveals the true culture of an organization. It is in the times of crisis when an organization’s ability to provide a good employee experience is truly tested. What kind of experience you provide to your employees today will be remembered for years to come and that will strengthen or weaken the core of your organization. Managing employee experience amid crisis needs to be a priority of every organization if they want to build a strong culture that goes a long way to help the company flourish. Employees devote so many hours of their lives to their organization and when a crisis hits they expect support and guidance to navigate through the tough times. Your employees are possibly overwhelmed with what’s happening around and as a business leader if you can help them feel good, your company will successfully sail through the rough waters.

The COVID-19 crisis has severely impacted businesses all around the globe but it’s the small companies that are hardest hit. Large enterprises have a better chance of surviving this crisis as they have more resources whereas for many small business owners the situation could eventually turn out to be devastating, considering the fact there is no certainty when this all will be over. A number of small companies have closed their operations temporarily and some fear that the closure might be permanent if the pandemic continues for long. Business owners are uncertain how to navigate their businesses in this turbulent time and the employees are fearing unemployment. However, the good news is that this stressful time can be used as an opportunity to drive creativity and innovation which, in turn, can help your business survive.

Regardless of the size of a company, data protection has become one of the most crucial aspects in the business world. Many large enterprises have made headlines for suffering data breaches which led them to massive losses. However, the scenario is even more troubling for small and mid-sized companies and the National Cyber Security Alliance has reported that 60% of such companies collapse within 6 months of a cyber attack. Also, with data privacy laws enhanced all around the world, there is an urgency for companies to implement sound data protection measures. In the era of digital transformation, many companies are also encouraging the practice of Bring Your Own Device (BYOD). Although it increases operational flexibility and reduces IT costs, it also makes the company more vulnerable to cyber attacks as personal devices don’t always have the same layers of security as the business devices. Data is one of the most critical resources for any organization and protecting it is of prime importance. In the light of evolved and more sophisticated techniques of data breaches coming up every other day, you might want to rethink your company’s data protection strategy to make your data more secure and your system more compliant. Take a look at how it can be done.

COVID-19 pandemic has got businesses struggling to stay afloat. Not only the economic crisis is impacting the operations, it’s also becoming increasingly difficult to navigate the situation, especially for the employers operating in multiple jurisdictions as they have to comply with numerous domestic laws and local government guidance. Amid all the chaos that the world is currently dealing with, the employers need to understand that the usual ways of doing business isn’t going to work anymore. Identifying the COVID-19 crisis management essentials has become critical. The focus of the world is shifting and the client/customer handling strategies and marketing approach need to be changed in the light of the current situation.

The sales process can mean the difference between a high-performing and underperforming organization. A properly structured sales process is essential for generating revenue, as it gives the team a fair idea on how to convert leads into customers. And, for a sales process to work well your team needs to have the right skills and techniques, and must consistently perform well. It’s also important for the leaders to ensure that the team members have proper training and coaching available. However, things could go wrong amid all the right procedures resulting in your leads going cold and your organization losing opportunities. To prevent such instances, it’s vital to have a dynamic sales process which is assessed and altered from time to time as per the requirements. This is because the market trends and customer needs keep changing and so should your strategies. Optimizing your sales process on a regular basis is extremely important to maintain high performance in the organization.

Every workplace encounters crisis at some point or other. Be it a natural disaster, a workplace violence, accident, or the one gripping the world currently – COVID-19 disease, one thing that can help organizations cope, regardless of the nature of the crisis, is advance planning. However, many companies are usually not prepared or have a crisis plan in place and this is especially true for small businesses. Advance planning is imperative for effective crisis management. Every business should think about how a crisis can impact its employees, suppliers, customers, and the brand, and be prepared to deal with it, regardless of the size of the company. It’s the responsibility of the HR leaders to develop a strategic plan considering the safety, health and welfare of the people associated with the organization. A crisis management plan is all about building the capacity of the employees to handle adverse situations using knowledge and strategies and making the right decisions that ensure business continuity.